Vayres (; oc, Vairas) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Arrondissement of Libourne The arrondissement of Libourne is an arrondissement of France in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It has 129 communes. Its population is 154,067 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement of ...

, in the Gironde department in

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Etymology

The name Vayres comes from Varatedo, the property of someone named Varus during the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

period. In 1060 the parish of ''Sanctus Johannes de Vayras'' is attested and the area is mentioned again in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Population

Location

Vayres is located in the

Entre-deux-Mers Entre-Deux-Mers is a French region, well known as a Bordeaux wine growing region. The geographical area is situated between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, and is bounded in the east by the border of the Gironde department and in the west by ...

natural region of France on the left bank of the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

, in the Bordeaux attraction area making it a

satellite village A satellite village is a term for one or more settlements that have arisen within the outskirts of a larger one. See also * Satellite state References *Lund Studies in Geography: Human Geography. 1989. Issues 53–56. Page 103Google Books*Kanok ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

and the nearby town of

Libourne Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Ém ...

. Despite Vayre's location 70 km from the Atlantic cost, the village still gets waves on the Dordogne through a process known as

Tidal bore Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (serv ...

s. Vayres is located 6.6 km west of Libourne, 12.4 km south-west of

Saint-Émilion Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938. In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), i ...

and 21.5 km north-east of Bordeaux. The village in the proximity of Vayres on the left bank are: Arveyres to the south-east, Saint-Germain-du-Puch to the south, Beychac-et-Caillau to the south-west, Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac to the west and Izon to the north. And on the right bank are: Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac to the north-east and Fronsac to the east.

Transportation

The commune is accessible via exit number 7 titled "Vayres et Izon" (Vayres and Izon) and exit number 8 titled "Vayres, Arveyres, Saint-Germain-du-Puch et Libourne" (Vayres, Arveyres, Saint-Germain-du-Puch and Libourne) on the

A89 autoroute The A89 autoroute is an autoroute in central France. It is known as the ''La Transeuropéenne''. It connects Bordeaux (from Libourne) and Lyon (at Limonest) via Clermont-Ferrand. Its total length is 544 km (338 mi). The project star ...

By rail

The line Paris-Austerlitz to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean passes through Vayres stopping at " Gare de Vayres" (Vayres rainway station).

Sights

* The Château de Vayres (Vayres Castle) was remodeled by the 16th-century French engineer Louis de Foix, deceased 1611. The castle was sold in 1583 by King Henry IV of Navarre largely ruined, to Ogier de Gourgue, in charge of the treasury of

Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...

, a friend of philosopher and political thinker Michel de Montaigne. Ogier de Gourge commissioned a well-known architect, Louis de Foix, who was building the

Cordouan lighthouse Cordouan lighthouse () is an active lighthouse located at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of , it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world. The Tour de Cordouan, the 'Patriarch of Lighthouses ...

and had worked for a few years for the king of Spain

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

History

Vayres has been inhabited since antiquity. It was located on the Roman road that connected Burdigala, now Bordeaux to Vesunna, now

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is al ...

. At the time it was a camp and market but gradually developed due to its location on a rocky outcrop overlooking the confluence between the Gestas and the Dordogne on which the castle was built. Vayres was a Barony, then a Marquisat where the

Seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

s were rich and powerful. The first written records of the Seigneurs of Vayres were the statements of various donations (Frenchs: états de donations diverses), written between

1060 Year 1060 ( MLX) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * August 4 – King Henry I (a member from the House of Capet) dies after a 29-year reign ...

and

1086 Year 1086 ( MLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * October 23 – Battle of Sagrajas: Spanish forces under King Alfonso VI (the Brave ...

. In the 11th century the Seigneurs from the Gombaud family owned Vayres and

Lesparre-Médoc Lesparre-Médoc (; oc, L'Esparra de Medòc, ), commonly known as Lesparre (), is a commune in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Lesparre is on the Médoc pen ...

. An archbishop of Bordeaux also had this name at the end of the 10th century. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

the parish of Saint-Jean de Vayres became the commune of Vayres.